Protectors and Princesses
by reiko of mars
Summary: "Cold, distant, and untouchable" were the words classmates would choose when asked to describe one of the school's two princesses, Hino Rei. But at least that's exactly who she was on the surface, unlike her bubbly blonde counterpart.
1. Prologue

_A/N:_ What's up, friends! I've decided to start a slightly longer story than I'm used to. Like all confused authors, I have _no_ idea where this is going. I really don't. But if there's _one_ thing I know, it's that this story is _not_ going to focus or center on action. I don't even really enjoy action. This first chapter just kind of ended up this way. I can get very genre-confused, okay. But just know that the succeeding chapters will probably be totally different! Because I don't know what I'm doing.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon._

* * *

_Prologue_

* * *

She hunched over in her seat, her posture rather unbecoming for a young lady like herself. Save for the rapid darting of her eyes and mashing of a few buttons, one might have mistaken this girl for a blonde statue. She had been in this spot for over an hour, but only one thought had dared cross her mind.

_Win, win, win._

_Bzzt! _The tiny, pixelated character on the screen started to jump up and down, the cheery victory music not quite matching the image of the final boss drowning in a pit of lava off to the side.

"I _won_!"

The young man behind the center of the game center took a look in her direction for the umpteenth time and immediately buried his face in his palms.

"And if you _keep_ winning, this place is going to _lose_ a lot of money, Minako-chan." He rubbed at his eyes. Who knew the best gamer in the center would be a _girl_ in a sailor fuku? A uniform that he was sure he had never seen in the vicinity. Upon making eye contact, she merely smiled and stood up.

"Not to worry, Onii-san! I—"

_Clunk!_

Minako turned to the arcade machine, lifting open the clear plastic flap to the prize compartment. She took a moment to admire the bright red pen before tossing it over her shoulder into a small pile of spoils that had accumulated since she had started playing. Patrons from all around the building eyed her jealously.

"Anyways, I pretty much blew my allowance for the whole week. You'll be safe until Monday!"

And with that, Aino Minako made her exit.

Ten minutes later found her sitting on a bench, the head of a taiyaki resting between her teeth. She drew the bag of prizes into her lap and began to sift through it. Truth be told, most of the toys and decorations in Minako's bedroom were actually courtesy of the Crown Game Center. After discovering it last year, Minako had sort of made it her hobby to game and collect when she wasn't out napping or playing sports.

In the end, most of the toys turned out to be quite commonplace: stuffed bears, rabbits, keychains. However, two things had caught Minako's eye.

The first was the red pen she had won last. It was actually half gold, ending in a strange symbol at the top. Something about it tickled at Minako's mind, but she couldn't quite place it. She tucked the pen into her breast pocket.

The second was definitely something Minako had never seen, a small compact in the shape of a crescent moon. She flipped it open and immediately slammed it shut.

Her reflection was.. it was.. that was _weird_.

Pushing the thought away, she glanced up and realized it was getting rather late. And _dark_.

"Dammit, mom's going to _kill_ me," she muttered. There were days when Minako's mother was worse than the police. And on particularly darker days, mushrooms.

Compact still gripped tightly in her hand, Minako ran down the street when she heard a distinct, yet muffled female voice.

"Let me go!"

Minako stopped in her tracks and backpedaled, the voices growing louder.

"C'mon, beautiful. Just give yourself up quickly and quietly, and I'll be done in a sec." A gruff male voice. There was a small gasp and a thump.

The bag dropped to the floor. In that moment, something snapped in Minako. Without any real reason, she raised her compact into the air. The words came easily.

"_Crescent Moon Power, Make Up!_"

Minako had no doubt she was now dressed exactly like her reflection had depicted her earlier. She could feel the red mask resting on her face. But now wasn't the time to examine her apparent costume change. Or question the heels now strapped to her feet. A surge of power coursed through her veins and before she knew it, she was running far faster than she normally ever did.

She dashed full charge into the alley, stopping at the sight she had been expecting.

A girl, around her age, lay unconscious on the floor, pinned in place by a much older man. His arm was pressed against her throat. When his hand started to descend towards her skirt, Minako's vision turned red.

"Hey, _you!_"

The man turned in her direction, only to be met with a drop-kick to the face. Minako blinked. When had she learned how to do _that_?

"You crazy _bitch_!" He shouted, attempting to contain the blood now pouring out of both nostrils.

He swung wildly, but Minako found it easy to dodge his blows. She then pointed her compact at him, raising it at chest-level.

"_Crescent Beam!_"

There was a flash of light and the man collapsed in a pathetic heap, joining his would-be victim on the ground.

_Um.._

Minako struggled to pace her breathing and heartbeat. She glanced at the compact in her hand, then at the girl, then at the man and so forth.

What the hell had just _transpired_? One minute she was getting ready to go home, the next she had beat a man unconscious.

With some kind of superpower, she guessed.

In _heels_.

For the second time that day, she pushed the thought out of her mind and picked the girl up in a bridal fashion, darting out into the streets.

Similar to the way she approached her schoolwork, Minako did not bother with all the _why'_s or _how'_s. All she knew was that she had found something _far_ more important than what was worth questioning.

More important than video games.

More important than volleyball.

More important than the scolding she knew she was going to get for coming home so late.

Aino Minako had found her duty, her _destiny_, and she was not about to sit around and question what Fate had bestowed upon her. It was almost comforting how easily this desire to defend and protect came to her, as if she had been waiting for this moment her whole life.

It had been around half an hour later when Minako stopped at a small playground. There, she placed the girl on a bench and stepped back. Aided with the glow of a nearby streetlamp, Minako was finally able to get a good look at the girl's face.

"No way!" She stifled her own exclamation with her hands, although her mouth was still agape in surprise. She _knew_ who this girl was. Or at least, had heard of her.

But the girl was stirring now, a sure sign that Minako needed to book it. In a moment of impulse, she bent over to kiss her on the forehead—an act that surprised herself—and dashed off. In her haste, she didn't notice the clatter behind her.

* * *

Minako reached home in record time. Unfortunately for her, it was still well past the time her mother was comfortable with. But even her mother wasn't enough to set off her mood. She endured the lecture with a dopey smile, daydreaming about her future as the Champion of Justice, Sailor V.

Minako didn't really know why she had decided to name herself that. She just thought it sounded cool.

She was in the middle of naming her attacks when she was interrupted by loud screeching.

"_Aino Minako_! Are you even listening to me right now?!"

Minako blinked before focusing her eyes back onto her mother.

"...y-yes?"

"Then you can tell me what in _God_'s name were you doing that was so important you had to put off coming home by _two_ hours?!"

"I, uh.. I was with a friend from school, of course. A classmate actually. I figured I should get to know my peers better. Everyone else has known each other since _kindergarten_!" And that was the truth. This week had marked Minako's first year at this school, a result of moving across the city.

"Oh, really? And just what was this girl's name?" Her mother prodded, disbelief etched all over her features. Hands on her hips, she bored her eyes into her daughter's.

Minako smiled. Already tasting sweet, sweet victory, she cleared her throat and stared right back.

"Her name is Hino Rei."

* * *

Rei jolted awake, a warm feeling fresh in her mind.

Where was she..?

Where was the guy?

No, where was the _girl_?

She recalled the sound of clacking heels growing closer right before she had passed out. Wait a minute. She heard them _now_, and Rei whipped her head in their direction. She strained her eyes at the retreating figure, but the darkness only helped to obscure her vision.

Rei's eyes then landed on something, something on the ground not too far from where she sat up.

She stood to pick it up and immediately hugged it to her chest.

Although she wasn't quite sure _how_, Rei had the feeling that this red pen was somehow connected to her phantom protector.

She knew it in her heart.


	2. A Day With Rei

_Chapter One: A Day With Rei_

* * *

Although nothing compared to the sanctuary of her shrine, Hino Rei did not mind school.

For her, it was tolerable.

Teachers respected her, students revered her, and even a few—she did not want to admit—_worshiped_ her.

Despite being the wealthiest and most prestigious educational institution in Tokyo, Rei had managed to single-handedly conquer TA Girls Academy.

Actually, she barely had to lift a _finger_. All she had to do was place high on the exams and everyone else did the work for her.

It was not like Rei exactly _welcomed_ the attention or took advantage of it. She simply let it _be_.

_Tolerated_ it.

She had no problem doing just that with her peers, either. Although rather introverted and aloof, you could not exactly say that Rei was a loner. She had many friends at the academy. Too many, really. Friends for comparing notes. Friends for trips to the bathroom. Friends to eat cake with at that one place by the station. Friends she could discuss things like literature and beauty tips and lessons and other people with. Things on the surface, unlike life at the shrine or her father or _him_.

Well, they were more like acquaintances, really.

But still, she tolerated them.

Her life was quite established. Despite having a deceased mother and a father who was practically heading in that direction for all she cared, Rei could not exactly complain about her life. Things had happened, but had they not gone that way, she would never have had the shrine. She _loved_ the shrine.

What you _could_ say is, in regards to her life, Hino Rei was quite content.

Satisfied.

* * *

_To the Princess of TA,_

_Hollow and empty inside_

_I did not know until I found you_

_And became lost in a sea of violet_

_ Yours Always,_

_ KO_

_Please meet me tomorrow at five by the gates._

She carefully folded the piece of stationery and tucked it away in her leather briefcase, letting out a small sigh. Closing the door to her shoe locker, she traveled down the hallway to her classroom.

Rei could barely tolerate love letters.

For one thing, she knew for a fact that nobody really knew her.

All they knew was that Hino Rei, daughter of Senator Hino, attended TA Girls Academy and lived at Hikawa Shrine.

(Although slightly more enthusiastic admirers would be able to pinpoint her bus routes.)

Sure, many from her school had been to the shrine, but Rei had never personally invited any of them there. Students from all over visited the shrine for normal things, like buying charms or praying for an upcoming exam.

(But then again, they also did absolutely _abnormal_ things like present its resident miko with flowers or cram the donation box with more of those godforsaken letters.)

Still, Rei could confidently say that high school students mostly visited the shrine for, well, the shrine and its kami. Its purpose.

(That had been her silent mantra for months, her grandfather would explain. He, on the other hand, took great amusement in the attention and reveled in the increased business.)

Rei glanced at her bag warily, thinking about the message again. Why did so many of her letters refer to her as "The Princess," anyways? Did they not know her given name?—

Wait a minute. Exactly how many princesses at the school were there?

She dug into her bag and retrieved another letter she had received last week and unfolded it, her eyes landing on the second line.

_—compared to unyielding elegance of twilight, the sun of the other Princess cannot compare._

It was then that Rei lost control and let out an audible giggle. She didn't know what was more hilarious: the embarrassingly poetic comparisons or the school's creepy enthusiasm for handing out such ridiculous titles.

The bell was ringing now. Still laughing, Rei quickened her pace.

* * *

Today was a Thursday, and Thursdays meant modern society straight after homeroom. Although Rei disliked the subject, she tried her best in it anyways.

She was at the front taking notes when all of a sudden, a body barreled through the sliding door.

"Aino!" Their teacher, Yamanaka growled. "School started over an _hour_ ago! Where were you during homeroom?"

"Please excuse me, sensei. I just love beating personal records," this Aino girl replied cheekily.

There was a chorus of laughter which did not cease even when Yamanaka appeared to have blown a gasket.

"_Aino!_"

Aino had a reputation for almost never arriving to school on time. In the few months since the school year had started, their homeroom teacher's impressively varied reactions had become a daily source of entertainment for the entire class. Today was a special day, however, as it was their modern society teacher's turn to scold her. Although Aino was always late, she was seldom late enough to miss an entire period.

Yamanaka rubbed at his temples. "Just cut the remarks and go take your seat." Nodding sheepishly, the blond made a beeline for the back of the classroom. She tossed Rei an unreadable glance as she passed her seat, but it went unnoticed by all.

Aino was a humorous, cheery and overall popular girl, Rei knew. Seated in the back, she had a knack for completely capturing the attention of those around her (and consequently dropping their grades). People flocked to her, and she _encouraged_ it, unlike Rei, who merely accepted it (as one would cruel fate).

This was all basic knowledge, of course. Even somebody as disinterested and uninvolved as Hino Rei had noticed when Aino (what was her name again? Makoto?) had transferred in that spring. After all, it wasn't every day that TA accepted transfer students. They weren't _supposed_ to, actually, but there were always exceptions for everything in this world Rei lived in.

It wasn't every day that someone like Aino came along, either. In a matter of three months, she had practically climbed the social ladder to what Rei believed to be the most popular girl at school. And that was saying something, in a school filled with the offspring of the wealthy and famous.

With the girl-in-mention settled in her seat and the overall noise of the classroom at a respectable level, Yamanaka cleared his throat.

"Now, Aino, is there anything _else_ you would like to tell me before we resume our lesson?"

She placed her pencil on her upper lip and scrunched her face in mock concentration.

"I didn't do my homework."

"AINO! _OUTSIDE!_"

Even the filled buckets the teacher presented her with as punishment did nothing to detract from her enthusiasm. The girlish little bounce in her step was impossible to miss as Aino practically danced through the door she had left open.

But from her spot by the exit, Rei was the only one who noticed the large candy bar nestled in the waistband of the troublemaker's uniform skirt.

* * *

Fortunately for Rei, modern society passed quickly and Yamanaka was replaced with their calculus teacher, Hanimoto.

"Hino," the teacher began, addressing the class representative. Her tone was careful and measured, a stark contrast to how Yamanaka had dealt with Aino. "Would you mind bringing these printouts to the staff room? They need to be delivered now, but of course I cannot leave this room unattended."

"Hai, sensei."

Rei made her exit, sliding the door closed behind her. She nearly bumped into Aino, who had made herself very comfortable with her back to the wall. Surprisingly, both buckets were still in hand. Rei had half-expected her to not bother, but then remembered how proud Aino could get during physical education. To put the load down would admit weakness.

There was a slight pause as Rei didn't quite know what to say. In the few months she had been here, Aino had never said a word to her, and neither had Rei. And they had certainly never been _this_ close.

Aino broke first. "Aren't you lucky." She gestured over to Rei and then back to her buckets.

The raven-haired girl blinked and shifted her focus to the printouts in her possession, trying very hard to ignore how blue Aino's eyes were.

"At least he didn't send you to get get paddled by the headmaster."

The two girls winced at the thought, but Aino managed a half-smile.

"I suppose. But maybe Hanimoto will send _you_ if she catches you talking to me."

Rei flushed slightly. "I.. I.. wait. You knew when modern society ended?"

"Of course. I saw Hani-sensei enter, didn't I?"

"Then why are you still out here?"

"Beats derivatives. You could say I 'provoked' Yamanaka a bit when he exited, enough to warn Hani."

This made Rei laugh softly. She stopped at the indiscernible look on Aino's face, however.

"What, thought I didn't have a sense of humor?"

"No, that's not it.." the blond murmured. She was about to say something but was interrupted by a loud grumbling. "Um.."

"Let me guess, you didn't get to eat breakfast?" An embarrassed nod. "What, never got to eat your chocolate?"

"My hands are kind of full. I honestly didn't think Yamanaka would go all old school and give me these..." Her sheepish grin slipped from her face. "Wait a minute. How did you_—"_

_"_You should learn how to hide stuff better." Rei then took a bucket from the other girl's hand. "See, now it'll look like we're both in trouble."

Rei honestly didn't know why she went out of her way to help this girl_—_who was practically a glutton for punishment___—_much less allow herself to get pulled into conversation. She was supposed to be _good_ at not investing herself in others. Rei was sure that had it been anyone else, she would be in the staff lounge right now, or even the classroom. Not hanging around in the hallways with a notorious truant.

There was an oddly comfortable silence as Aino unwrapped her candy with a free hand and took a bite. Rei was almost disturbed with how she ate it. If it were her, she would've broken off the individual cubes of chocolate by hand. She shook the odd thought from her head and began to stare off into space, questioning all of the actions she had made in the past ten minutes.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the bar was waved in front of her face. She looked over to Aino, who grinned.

"Thanks for helping me out."

_And now I'm eating candy. You know what? Screw it, _Rei thought. She took a sizable bite without actually taking the bar from Aino's hand, not caring that the other girl's mouth had been on it.

The hand holding the bar instantly stiffened, and Aino turned her face away.

"Anyways, you had better be on your way before you end up standing next to me for real."

"But what about the buckets?"

Aino smiled and looped her occupied arm through Rei's bucket, nestling the handle on the inside of her elbow.

Rei gave her a peculiar look. "You mean you could've done that all along?"

"I don't know, it was kind of nice taking advantage of your kindness."

The raven-haired girl had the feeling that she was missing out on something, but brushed it off. "You're really something." She said this with good humor, surprised that she didn't feel irritated at all. "I guess I really had better go now. I could probably make some excuse about the staff being in discussion."

Resuming her duty as class representative, Rei waved goodbye to the girl who turned out to be not-so-bad.

But she wasn't exactly sure how to feel about this Aino girl.

* * *

The blonde waved back until the other girl disappeared behind the door to the staff lounge.

Minako glanced at the half-eaten chocolate in her hand for a full minute before ungraciously cramming the rest into her mouth. There was no way she was going to share this with anyone else, not at all. She decided to reenter the classroom out of pure boredom.

It was something she had planned on doing until the moment Hino Rei had abruptly appeared before her.

Again.

* * *

_Notes!_

I figured I'd hurry on and update now because I've been so spoiled this week. The Rei/Minako ship has had a whopping total of _fifteen_ updates within the past ten days! FIFTEEN! I remember when getting one every two weeks was a good pace.

And yeah, you're not alone. This chapter was pretty weird to me. I swear, if I have to refer to Minako as 'Aino' one more time, I will.. I don't know. HAHA.

But hey, at least it didn't take 8573495 chapters for them to meet like originally planned! Just kidding, I'm not planning anything at all here. Just goin' with the _flow_. (I need to pee now.)


	3. What An Idiot

_Chapter Two: What An Idiot_

* * *

It had already been a month since the run-in with Hino Rei, and Minako had the feeling she would never have the chance to talk to her again.

Of course, that was partially her fault.

Aino Minako was what one could call a social butterfly. Meaning, she saw no social boundaries. She fluttered and floated around as she goddamn pleased. To Minako, it didn't matter whether anyone lacked in money, smarts, or looks. Chances were, she was going to invade their personal space without relent until they could mutually call each other good friends, or at the very least, acquaintances. Aino Minako avoided_ no one_.

..Except a certain raven-haired girl who possessed all three. With emphasis on the _looks_.

Something about Hino Rei set off alarms all throughout Minako's subconscious. It wasn't that she found herself particularly driven away by Hino's infamous distant nature (she hadn't seemed all that distant when Minako had finally met her), but something told her that if she were to get any closer, she would find herself in a world of hurt.

Still, that didn't mean she didn't _want_ to get to know the other girl. Minako had this strong desire to protect Hino Rei. A strong attachment had been formed that fateful night, even though she had assisted dozens of other people as Sailor V since. She _needed_ to be sure that this Hino Rei was always safe, and she guessed that being able to see her everyday in class was enough for her.

Although she would never admit it, she sometimes followed the other girl home. Yes, it was pretty damn crazy, but Minako didn't want a repeat of_ that_ night. She only had to do it a few times, however. Fortunately for her, Hino had taken to traveling a different route, which included a bus ride midway. It steered clear of that certain alley, and Sailor V never once had to show herself again.

It was on this particular day that Minako supposed she should stop worrying about Hino Rei. The other girl was going to be fine; it made no sense to fix something that wasn't broken.

It was dangerous to form attachments anyways.

* * *

"Aino Minako-san from Class 1-B, please report to Shibazaki in the staff room. I repeat, Aino Minako-san from Class 1-B, please report to Shibazaki in the staff room."

Minako was immediately pulled from her daydream at the mention of her name.

This particular day was starting to suck.

The class good-naturedly _ooh_'d, but Minako just laughed and exited the classroom, thankful for the distraction.

However, she made sure to avoid eye contact with her _other_ distraction, who was seated near the door.

* * *

"Aino!" The headmaster, Shibazaki, boomed.

Minako almost wished she were back in the classroom. She had no problem dealing with Yamanaka or Hanimoto, but Headmaster Shibazaki still scared the crap out of her.

As if answering her unspoken question, he scooted his swivel chair to a steel cabinet and pulled out a dossier, laying it flat out on his desk.

"It has come to my attention that your exam scores have been.. less than favorable."

_Well shit._ "Um.."

"I've bent a lot of rules for your parents in order to get you enrolled here, but that does not mean you are exempt from the periodic exams as well."

"Hai. I promise to do better next ti_—_"

"Not so fast. I have also heard from Yamanaka-sensei that you lack.. focus."

_Damn Yamanaka. Damn him to hell. Actually, once my parents find out about my grades, I'll drag him there with me._ "Um.."

"So we're going to assign you a student tutor. You will meet with them after school for a couple of hours every day until the exams next month are over. _Fortunately_, none of them have been assigned yet, so you get first pick."_ Oh, joy._ "Would you like to be tutored by the first, second, or third in the class?"

_Shit_. Minako needed a way out of this, and fast. "Wait a minute, would that not be a little counterproductive? Won't the extensive tutoring cause their grades to drop?"

"Here at TA Girls Academy, the top three in the class have the privilege of opting to tutor another student. If that other student can achieve an average of at least seventy-percent on their exams, then their own scores will be nullified and will receive full credit instead."

"..oh."_ This school can be really shady sometimes_.

"So, who would you like?" Shibazaki said, folding his hands.

"Uh.. Number Three, I guess." _The less intelligent she is, the better we'll get along, I suppose._

"I'll let her know then. Be sure to report to the library straight after class is over for the day. You don't have any club activities, do you?"

"No, sir. Volleyball activities ended last week." She wished she could lie.

"Great. Don't forget then."

The moment Minako exited the staff room, she pinched the bridge of her nose. She normally used her after school time for going to the arcade and patrolling the area for criminals. What was she going to do now?

* * *

She should have known.

She really,_ really_ should have known.

For sitting there, the_ only_ person occupying one of the library's numerous mahogany tables, was the one and only Hino Rei. Who was already beginning to stack textbooks and arrange writing utensils into perfect ninety-degree angles.

Ignoring the the cuteness, Minako swallowed hard and accepted her fate. Hesitantly, as if she had been shot in the kneecap, she slowly shuffled to a stop in front of Hino's table. She cleared her throat, causing the other girl to look up.

"You wouldn't happen to be.. number three in the class, would you?"

Violet eyes widened imperceptibly. "I am. Are you the 'desperately failing student' Shibazaki mentioned?"

"I.. am."

"Well then.. I guess we should get started?" Hino tried awkwardly.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at_ all_. Not only was her patrolling time cut, but _now_ she had to spend time with the girl her senses were practically bending over backwards to warn her to_ stay away_ from?

She would have none of this, Minako decided. Squaring her shoulders, she went on the offensive.

"Hino-san, are you volunteering for the full marks?"

"Ah, no. More like my father and Shibazaki are good friends, so there's a bit of pressure. I need to be in good standing with the both of them."

"But you could _definitely _get good scores whether or not I actually pass, correct?"

"Hopefully. Why are you_—_"

"Because I don't want your help." Even Minako didn't know why she was acting so haughty. Hino was being nice, wasn't she?

"Look, I'll tell Shibazaki that you've done all you could, but I was just a lost cause. Until the exams are over, you can use the one or two hours you're supposed to spend tutoring me for whatever you want. For all Shibazaki will know, we were studying."

Hino's eyes narrowed, but Minako could tell she was containing her anger due to the fact that they were in a library.

"Just _what_ is your problem? Rude, yes, but I don't ever recalling you being this mean."_  
_

"My problem?" Minako repeated, irritated.

"My problem is that I have more important things to do."

* * *

The hour was over.

Rei closed the textbook she had been poring over with a sigh. Just what was Aino's problem?_ Bubbly and friendly, my ass_, she thought.

It would be okay, though. Aino's refusal to study with her would be fine, as Rei figured it would be best to utilize the would-be study time for herself. It would be possible to achieve a perfect score, with or without that dumb blonde. She'd show Aino. She stood up and glanced at her watch.

"The bus left already.." She mumbled to herself.

Gathering all of her supplies, she exited the building, waving goodbye to the librarian.

"But I think it'd be okay to walk."

She pointedly ignored the fact that she would have to walk past_ that_ alley again, if she wanted to be home before dark.

She opened her briefcase to briefly wrap her hand around a plastic red pen, the one she had been bringing to school everyday for the past three months.

* * *

Notes!

There's not much I want to say about this chapter. Sorry for the late update, everyone? :) I had severe writer's block until I started writing those one-shots. Expect a sequel to _Just Admit It_ soon!


	4. What In The Hell (Is Going On Here)

_A/N: _There's going to be rather crude language in this chapter, so beware, kiddos! This one's a bit shorter, but I promise the next will have more!

* * *

_Chapter Three: What In The Hell (Is Going On Here)_

* * *

Okay, so maybe that hadn't exactly been the_ smoothest_ of Minako's decisions.

But still, she had her priorities. Patrolling the area and assisting her fellow citizens were much more important than sitting around getting to know Hino Rei.

Pushing away the thought that what was_ important_ and what she _wanted_ were two completely different things, she instead busied her mind with surveying her surroundings. She had been perched on this building for a while, and Minako could feel her legs begin to numb.

_Something_ needed to happen.

But nothing did happen, so Minako, disguised as Sailor V, made her descent down the building. Her prayers, however, were answered the moment her heels met the ground.

"I told you, already. _I_ am going to go home, and _you_ are going to beat it."

She nearly stumbled onto the floor.

Of course. Of fucking _course_ Hino-_fucking_-Rei would be here once again to practically seat herself in the middle of a death trap. Of _course_ she would once again be halted by a shady looking male. And of _course_ this would all be in the same fucking alley Aino Minako had spent the past few months getting herself acquainted with.

But this situation was slightly different; the man appeared to be harassing Hino_ verbally_, and not physically. Yet.

Minako cracked her knuckles. Yes, it was going to be different this time. Because this time, Minako was going to fucking break somebody's jaw in half.

* * *

Okay, so maybe this hadn't exactly been the_ smartest_ of Rei's decisions.

She had just wanted to get home quickly. What were the chances she would be stopped _again_?

But at least the man this time seemed a little less threatening; all talk. Maybe a few more minutes and he'd relent.

..Or get tackled by a mass of blue and white. He instantly flew to the side and out of Rei's vision.

Her heart hammered wildly in her chest as she heard the familiar clacking of heels in the distance. Could it have been.. _her_? The protector that had been plaguing her dreams and visions for _months_ now? She had watched the news and read the reports. Many wanted criminals were often found here, beaten and unconscious. It must have all been the work of _her_.

Rei had to meet her. She had to talk to her.

Completely forgetting the fact that she was supposed to be in danger, Rei darted out of the alleyway and gaped at what she found.

On the floor, was the dirty old man. With a foot firmly planted onto the underside of his chin was..

_Aino_?

Still clad in her school uniform.

Where was the white and blue?

Where were the heels?

Where was_ she_?

So shocked was Rei that she didn't notice the angry girl advancing toward her.

"What are you _doing_?" Aino cried, frustration written all over her features.

Now _she _was questioning _her_ choices? Rei had _had_ it with this imbecile of a girl.

"What does it matter to _you_?"

"What matters to _me _is that _you_ are in a _very_ dangerous area. At _night_! What the hell kind of business do you have here?"

Whatever was shining in Aino's eyes made Rei feel oddly uncomfortable. She decided to change the topic.

"So I can't be here at this time of night, huh? Then what are _you_ doing here?"

"I.. I.." Aino began. She then turned and gestured (seemingly at random, Rei noted with suspicion) to a building across the street. "Needed to get some shirts dry-cleaned!"

"Aino-san, that's a donut shop," Rei pointed out with narrowed eyes.

"They also do dry-cleaning on the side..?" The other girl mumbled half-heartedly, finger that had been firmly pointed at the store wilting. She then straightened up and directed her finger at Rei. "It doesn't matter why I'm here! What matters is that you really _shouldn't_ be here."

"I don't need you to be my babysitter. Unfortunately, unlike a _certain_ someone else in this vicinity, I am a grown woman capable of making my own decisions." The statement may have had been more valid had the raven-haired girl not crossed her arms in a sudden act of petulance.

"Ugh, fine! Do what you want!" The blonde turned on her heel and started to walk away. Rei had been burning a hole in her back with her gaze for all of six seconds when Aino suddenly turned around.

"What?" Rei demanded.

Aino appeared to mumble something, but the words were unable to travel the five feet to Rei.

"I can't hear you," she stated, her impatience exposing itself.

"Where do you live?" Aino may as well as have been shouting.

"Hikawa Jinja. On Sendai Hill. Why do you ask?"

"That's a long way's off."

"Well, the last bus left an hour after school ended. The one before that is fifteen minutes after."

There was a long silence. For a second, Rei thought Aino was going to say something, but she instead started to walk off. Rei had to jog to catch up with her.

"Hey! Aino-san!"

The other girl kept walking. "Why did you stay at the school?"

"It was my study time. I am perfectly capable of achieving a one-hundred whether or not _you _actually pass."

"Can't you study at home?"

"It's already hard enough to juggle shrine duties and visitors."

"Why does it have to be a perfect score?"

Rei stopped walking. "Because." _Because whether or not you know it, you proposed a challenge that I'm not going to back down from._

"..." There was that silence once again. Aino was being _too _quiet. Rei almost wished she would say something, but caught herself at the last second.

They continued to walk in silence until they reached a pathway all too familiar to Rei. She shot Aino a questioning glance, but the blonde had her gaze firmly fixed ahead.

Eyes still trained forward, she finally spoke. "You'll be rid of me in a bit. Just bear with it for now, _Princess._"

"_What_ did you just call me?!" Rei protested, turning her body to face Aino completely.

But the other girl kept walking, a smirk plastered onto her face. "Just what the rest of the school calls you."

The biting retort died in Rei's mouth when she realized they were in front of her jinja. Aino kept walking, however.

"Wait a minute!" Rei called.

The blonde's figure halted momentarily.

After not receiving a reply, she continued. "What do you want from me?"

"Just.." Aino's shoulders seemed to tense. She finally made eye contact with Rei.

"Be safe."

And she really _did _walk away this time, causing Rei to look after her retreating form with a small frown.

* * *

After another night of being plagued by _those_ dreams, Rei lay awake, unable to go to back to sleep. Forgetting about _her_ for a brief moment, she allowed her mind to drift to the infuriating blonde from her class.

Forget what she had first thought upon meeting Aino. In less than twenty-four hours, she had already proven herself the complete opposite of Rei's expectations. Maybe even the school's.

Aino wasn't friendly; she was rude. She wasn't ditzy; she was cold. But if Aino were to be summed up in one sentence only, Rei could definitely, _confidently_ say this:

Aino Minako was the most interesting person Hino Rei had ever met.

* * *

_Notes!_

Sorry for all of the swearing; I was starting to feel Minako's frustration at Rei's stupidity. If you notice, however, none of the swearing is on Rei's side of the story. Actually, the previous chapters are quite polite in terms of language, because their characters don't conflict then.

And to mookkitt, who reviewed the first chapter: The conflict begins here! In my head, Minako and Rei are the kind of people who get along perfectly.. until one gets too protective of the other.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed! Things should speed up from here.. hopefully.


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